It was a great day on the River Dee today. The river was running at a ’7′ on the gauge at the Old Mill, giving plenty of flow, but not making things too frantic. Combining that with a dry day and good company, made for a fantastic day to be out canoeing on the river. I [...]

Looking to make the most of the milder conditions, Chris Hughes and I teamed up for a day’s paddling. We had hoped to paddle from Lanerfyl to Meifod on the Afon (River) Banwy, but inspection of the water levels at Llanfair Caereinion suggested that it would have been a bit of a scrape along the [...]

It’s been a little while since I’ve been out on my bike, but it seemed the ideal way to work off some that Christmas excess. Chris Hughes and I decided to head for the Long Mynd area of the Shropshire Hills to explore some new trails. Although everything looked good as we started our drive [...]

It’s been a while since I’ve been out climbing with Ranjit. He was actually responsible for introducing me to the world of climbing a number of years ago now, but we don’t often find the opportunity to get out together these days. However, with things still a bit quiet after the Christmas holidays, today was [...]

Us outdoor instructors tend to develop a set of venues for different activities that we become familiar with and know work. This is all well and good, but there’s always that niggling thought in the back of your head that perhaps there’s somewhere even better, or that might be better located for certain groups. With [...]

I actually got the chance to do some skills development of my own today! I don’t get that much opportunity, so it was great to spend the day on the River Dee with fellow instructor Colin Crockart. Colin and I are both looking to move our paddling qualifications further along the BCU’s scheme, and today [...]

It’s been a little while since I’ve been out in my kayak for non work purposes, so it was a real treat today to hook up with members from Shrewsbury Canoe Club for a paddle on the River Severn. There were 10 of us in all that met up at Coalbrookdale, near Ironbridge in Telford [...]

Sea Kayaking is one of those things I don’t often get the chance to do much of, but has been the source of some great experiences over the years. The amazing places you can access by boat, that very few people get to see, are a real treat. Yes, the weather can throw all sorts [...]

Every now and then it’s nice to get out and enjoy doing something for yourself, and even better if you can share it with a friend. Chris is a local outdoor instructor who runs his own small business, but we often find ourselves working together and enjoy spending a day doing something together every now [...]

One of my sons has started to express an interest in hill waking. I suspect that it has more to do with a fascination with winter mountaineering and the thought of spending a night in a snow hole but, when I offered to take him out into Snowdonia, he jumped at the chance. So, relieved [...]